Ask HN: How you manage your to-do list? Are you happy with it?
10 comments
I write my to-dos in a plain text file. I try to avoid writing down actions; I prefer deliverables because it's clearer when you actually have achieved something. I prefix to-do items with a character if the status changes immediately after the change. Here are the prefixes I use:
No prefix: This item was written down but hasn't started @ in progress: I started working on it, the item is with me. # finished > means this item is currently with someone else. It works as a reminder to chase someone after some time. x means canceled / decided not to do d means on hold because dependent on something else ! prioritized for today
I have items grouped with the first line being a heading for the group. I write notes or status if relevant after a to-do item and a comma. If things are crazy I will start notes with today's date. That's specially useful when there is a lot of back and forth on something. Daily, I'll copy yesterdays list and past it above. I remove the items that are done or canceled. The system is all home grown, arcane and works for me.
No prefix: This item was written down but hasn't started @ in progress: I started working on it, the item is with me. # finished > means this item is currently with someone else. It works as a reminder to chase someone after some time. x means canceled / decided not to do d means on hold because dependent on something else ! prioritized for today
I have items grouped with the first line being a heading for the group. I write notes or status if relevant after a to-do item and a comma. If things are crazy I will start notes with today's date. That's specially useful when there is a lot of back and forth on something. Daily, I'll copy yesterdays list and past it above. I remove the items that are done or canceled. The system is all home grown, arcane and works for me.
I manage to-dos using https://www.cosapien.com It also manages what other people have committed to-do for me, with built-in quality control.
... i forgot to add -- it is also useful to me because it integrates to do with our meeting minutes
I've recently thrown my hat in with Things, with the Beta now supporting Cloud syncing. I'm a minimalist, GTD-leaning sorta guy and this fits perfectly with my workflow.
I use my calendar as a to-do list. Works for me. Block out time to do tasks - not just meetings. That way it forces me to bucket time for stuff to get done.
for my primary project, i keep a list of items on a physical whiteboard. i pace around a lot when thinking, so an app would never be as intimate to use.
for everything else, i use a text file with items formatted like:
for everything else, i use a text file with items formatted like:
[X] add feature
[ ] fix bug
I use Toodledo.com and give my tasks tags and priorities so that I can sort and filter them. It works really well for me.
I use calendar and Clear app for iphone. Also not to much time ago I installed Any.do app to try it.
Workflowy. And yes.
I used workflowy for a long time and I think it's brilliant, but now I need to keep up with complex tasks, so I'm using tiddlywiki - that allows me to link between tasks, and make notes of relevant things to my tasks
Reading the comments I realized there are two contrasting opinions; two groups of people - one that considers email as a to-do list and other who thinks it is just a communication protocol that is wrongly used by some people as a to-do list.
I would like to know from HN community, how do you actually manage your to-do list? Are you happy with it? If not, why?